Curriculum Review: Artistic Pursuits

This year I decided to begin formal art lessons for my kids. I wanted a program that introduced them to the Masters and great works of art. And at the Richmond Homeschool Convention in June, I hit the jackpot when I discovered ARTistic Pursuits.

This fabulous art program introduces children to the world of art through hands on art projects that reinforce art-related concepts. Each lesson covers a topic through a short descriptive text and an example of art. The lessons end with a project so that the student may practice the technique. For example, in Lesson 1, the student is introduced to the topic of composition. The kids are shown the painting, The Courtyard of a House in Delft, by Pieter De Hooch. Then the teacher asks the children questions about the painting to help them begin to understand composition (i.e., How many doorways do you look through in this painting?). The final project is for the child to compose their own picture using an ebony pencil and some sketch paper.

You can purchase the whole art pack with the lesson plan book and the art materials you'll be needing. Or you can do what I did and just purchase the lesson plan book. I have most of the art materials at home, and can run up to Michaels if I don't.

I'm just so delighted with Artistic Pursuits and the art materials that we have discovered through it. I know that I made a great choice purchasing this curriculum because the other day I woke up to find my kids sitting at the dining room table quietly painting their own watercolor pictures. The lesson from the day before had introduced us all to watercolor crayons. We LOVE them! Here are a few examples:



Watercolor crayons that I picked up at Michaels. You just draw, color, and then paint away!




My son's subject matter? Star Wars. No-brainer here.




No, my daughter isn't being strangled by a man wearing black. That is a chimpanzee doll with velcro hands that she loves to hang about her neck as she parades around the house with her royal crown and scepter.




And we've been reading the Jungle Book...




We even made our own hurricanes, then labeled the parts.




It looked like so much fun, I couldn't resist trying my hand at it!

 If you are interested in purchasing a copy of the lesson book, you can find them cheaper on Amazon and some homeschool supply sites. The books are divided by age/grades. We've just started with Grade K-2 Book One.

This curriculum is in English only.

Con mucho cariño...